God's Word

last month, i was blessed with a wonderful opportunity to be a dt leader for this year. unlike my past dt groups/one-on-one who were college girls, i was called to serve as a dt leader for a youth group girl. she's 15 years old... i'm almost a decade older than her. wow -.- haha anyways.

after learning that i was to be a dt leader, i was given a free and brand new esv study bible by hope church. it weighs a ton but i love it so much! i admit that i used to think the bible was too dull and difficult to read. but that only shows how foolish i have been. i realize now that the reason why i thought the bible was "boring" was because i didn't know what i was reading. i didn't care to learn about the author, the date, the genre, the style, the theme, the purpose, occasion, and background. but this esv study bible has everything! it even includes an outline for each book, charts, timelines, lists of facts, and colorful maps and illustrations! (i always get excited when i see color in a book. does that still make me a kid? hmm... hehe) these supplemental information has been added to help a simpleton, such as myself, to comprehend God's Word in its entirety. thank you, so many theologians, for compiling this resourceful study bible :)

my dt girl and i will be going through 1 John. i love a lot of the NT books but for this particular one, i have a biased affection and an emotional attachment to it. i read this book twice back in '09 and '10. but now that i'm using the study bible, i am blown away by all the notes and commentaries of 1 John. ah, i love it. i love it. i love it!

it's no wonder pastor joe's sermons are so long. the bible is so dense and rich; there's so much knowledge to share. it's no wonder pastors need a lot of time to prepare a sermon. it's clear that God's Word cannot be prepared in just one day, or else you won't be doing any justice to it at all.

i am so fortunate to have this study bible. thank you, hope church. but ultimately, thank you, God :)